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Last update - 14:47 15/01/2009
The IDF has no mercy for the children in Gaza nursery schools
By Gideon Levy, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Gideon Levy, IDF, Israel 

Click here for more articles by Gideon Levy

The fighting in Gaza is "war deluxe." Compared with previous wars, it is child's play - pilots bombing unimpeded as if on practice runs, tank and artillery soldiers shelling houses and civilians from their armored vehicles, combat engineering troops destroying entire streets in their ominous protected vehicles without facing serious opposition. A large, broad army is fighting against a helpless population and a weak, ragged organization that has fled the conflict zones and is barely putting up a fight. All this must be said openly, before we begin exulting in our heroism and victory.

This war is also child's play because of its victims. About a third of those killed in Gaza have been children - 311, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 270 according to the B'Tselem human rights group - out of the 1,000 total killed as of Wednesday. Around 1,550 of the 4,500 wounded have also been children according to figures from the UN, which says the number of children killed has tripled since the ground operation began.
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This is too large a proportion by any humanitarian or ethical standard.

It is enough to look at the pictures coming from Shifa Hospital to see how many burned, bleeding and dying children now lie there. History has seen innumerable brutal wars take countless lives.

But the horrifying proportion of this war, a third of the dead being children, has not been seen in recent memory.

God does not show mercy on the children at Gaza's nursery schools, and neither does the Israel Defense Forces. That's how it goes when war is waged in such a densely populated area with a population so blessed with children. About half of Gaza's residents are under 15.

No pilot or soldier went to war to kill children. Not one among them intended to kill children, but it also seems neither did they intend not to kill them. They went to war after the IDF had already killed 952 Palestinian children and adolescents since May 2000.

The public's shocking indifference to these figures is incomprehensible. A thousand propagandists and apologists cannot excuse this criminal killing. One can blame Hamas for the death of children, but no reasonable person in the world will buy these ludicrous, flawed propagandistic goods in light of the pictures and statistics coming from Gaza.

One can say Hamas hides among the civilian population, as if the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv is not located in the heart of a civilian population, as if there are places in Gaza that are not in the heart of a civilian population. One can also claim that Hamas uses children as human shields, as if in the past our own organizations fighting to establish a country did not recruit children.

A significant majority of the children killed in Gaza did not die because they were used as human shields or because they worked for Hamas. They were killed because the IDF bombed, shelled or fired at them, their families or their apartment buildings. That is why the blood of Gaza's children is on our hands, not on Hamas' hands, and we will never be able to escape that responsibility.

The children of Gaza who survive this war will remember it. It is enough to watch Nazareth-born Juliano Mer Khamis' wonderful movie "Arna's Children" to understand what thrives amid the blood and ruin we are leaving behind. The film shows the children of Jenin - who have seen less horror than those of Gaza - growing up to be fighters and suicide bombers.

A child who has seen his house destroyed, his brother killed and his father humiliated will not forgive.

The last time I was allowed to visit Gaza, in November 2006, I went to the Indira Gandhi nursery school in Beit Lahia. The schoolchildren drew what they had seen the previous day: an IDF missile striking their school bus, killing their teacher, Najwa Halif, in front of their eyes. They were in shock. It is possible some of them have now been killed or wounded themselves.

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      1.   Israel and its defensive wars 06:10  |  Eduardo 15/01/09
      2.   War as a child play 06:13  |  Sarah 15/01/09
      3.   responsibility 06:25  |  Gideon Amir 15/01/09
      4.   Giedon, the world loves you! 06:31  |  Gordon Levy 15/01/09
      5.   gasa 06:32  |  avraham 15/01/09
      6.   gideon levy 06:33  |  peter green 15/01/09
      7.   The Children that were raised to kill and die. 06:37  |  Giora 15/01/09
      8.   Hey Gideon, well shut up and tell hamas to make peace with israel 06:43  |  James Spade 15/01/09
      9.   Um, excuse me! 06:45  |  Reuven 15/01/09
      10.   You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Levy. 06:47  |  VLAD 15/01/09
      11.   Spot on 07:57  |  Nagiha 15/01/09
      12.   Shooting fish in a barrel 08:20  |  Mark 15/01/09
      13.   Jaundiced View 08:21  |  Norm 15/01/09
      14.   Haaretz, any morality left ? 08:24  |  Almir 15/01/09
      15.   in response 08:28  |  lior 15/01/09
      16.   Gideon - the wise one!? 08:39  |  Yitz 15/01/09
      17.   7 : psychiatric needed here 08:52  |  too much 15/01/09
      18.   War on Gaza 09:04  |  claire 15/01/09
      19.   THE PALESTINIANS CHOSE HAMAS, THEY SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY 09:07  |  Alex 15/01/09
      20.   Haaretz wont publish my responses 09:23  |  Rizwan 15/01/09
      21.   Typical Levy Chutzpa 09:24  |  Neil 15/01/09
      22.   Those who applaud Gideon Levy... 10:09  |  Hastaroth 15/01/09
      23.   peace for your children, NEVER ! 10:12  |  blame shame khraim 15/01/09
      24.   Gaza 10:14  |  Michael 15/01/09
      25.   Alex NJ - Obviously wrong 10:18  |  sean 15/01/09
      26.   is that your name `levy`? 10:21  |  paul 15/01/09
      27.   Isarel and hamas are responsible 10:33  |  Steve the Pals. 15/01/09
      28.   Children 10:45  |  Ben 15/01/09
      29.   Cheap shot Gideon 10:46  |  sharon 15/01/09
      30.   Alterman was right 10:56  |  Tzfonit 15/01/09
      31.   GIDEON TRYING TO TOP AMIRA. 11:01  |  Robert 15/01/09
      32.   to peter green 11:03  |  sharon 15/01/09
      33.   Glora #7 11:04  |  Stefan 15/01/09
      34.   GIDEON.Did you ask for mercy when Israeli kindegartens were hit 12:37  |  PETER SM 15/01/09
      35.   #13 ask a Russian 12:38  |  Noa 15/01/09
      36.   Israel and his defensive wars 12:39  |  Ruby 15/01/09
      37.   I wonder who really has no mercy for the children of Gaza 12:41  |  Avraham 15/01/09
      38.   #7 ignorance is dangerous 12:42  |  Kam 15/01/09
      39.   I bow to your frankness 12:43  |  Martha 15/01/09
      40.   more analysis please 12:43  |  yonah 15/01/09
      41.   #38 from Dubai, look at Germany 13:43  |  Noa 15/01/09
      42.   Ben: WWII Germany Had a Military, Gazan`s have no self defence 14:50  |  Tupac 15/01/09
      43.   Thank you... 14:57  |  Maria 15/01/09
      44.   Stop the killing now 15:01  |  Moonbow 15/01/09
      45.   Almost 2000 Palestinian children killed or maimed. 15:08  |  Lars Hansen 15/01/09
      46.   Who is to blame? 15:15  |  Paul 15/01/09
      47.   Almir of Sarajevo 15:18  |  MR 15/01/09
      48.   The Palestinians voted for Hamas in overwhelming numbers (~75%).. 15:20  |  flyingdoc57 15/01/09
      49.   Dear Gideon Levi: Thank you 15:22  |  Seawife 15/01/09
      50.   Mercy for all children?/ 34/PETER SM 15:23  |  Anne 15/01/09
      51.   IDF - UN Facilities 15:34  |  Michael 15/01/09
      52.   TO ALL OF YOU 17:04  |  MARIA 15/01/09
      53.   Hamas needs to accept Israel;and Israel needs more Gideon Levys 17:41  |  Anonymous 15/01/09
      54.   "War is not healthy for children and other living things" 17:48  |  Anonymous 15/01/09
      55.   The only credit 17:50  |  El_Justiciero 15/01/09
      56.   I despair 17:52  |  Jo 15/01/09
      57.   Hamas/PA Target JEWISH INNOCENTS. Israel Targets Terrorists 18:18  |  Linda Rivera 15/01/09
      58.   Attitude of Israelian Gov. 18:29  |  Robert 15/01/09
      59.   Jo #56 18:30  |  Giora 15/01/09
      60.   Tupac 18:35  |  Anonymus 15/01/09
      61.   sympathy and aid to Schalit not gaza 18:48  |  bernard ross 15/01/09
      62.   you should be proud of yourself Gideon Levy 18:51  |  Sam (UK) 15/01/09
      63.   Equally tragic that Hamas made no provision whatsoever... 19:00  |  Esther 15/01/09
      64.   A true Jewish conscience 19:02  |  Mitch Katz 15/01/09
      65.   Something I wish 19:03  |  Janice 15/01/09
      66.   to Bernard Ross 19:13  |  rm 15/01/09
      67.   Thank you Gideon 19:13  |  julie 15/01/09
      68.   gideon and the children 19:30  |  Yesh 15/01/09
      69.   One day we Israels will pay a terrible price for 19:35  |  L A 15/01/09
      70.   to peter green 19:37  |  Hartmut 15/01/09
      71.   Thank you 19:42  |  Zeiler 15/01/09
      72.   ..And the Gideon Levy fan club drones on.... 19:47  |  Nemesis 15/01/09
      73.   @ almir of sarajevo 19:48  |  Ervin 15/01/09
      74.   Palestinian Parents 19:49  |  Antar 15/01/09
      75.   the double standard 19:56  |  Jeff 15/01/09
      76.   The IDF has no mercy for the children in Gaza nursery schools 20:02  |  Ron Balk 15/01/09
      77.   The "shooting fish in a barrel" analogy 20:10  |  SDHD 15/01/09
      78.   The IDF does target children 20:10  |  Dave Duncan 15/01/09
      79.   Whomever is mercifull to the cruel will ultimatly be cruel to the 20:11  |  Joseph.E 15/01/09
      80.   Gaza War 20:26  |  P. J. Casey 15/01/09
      81.   Levy is a hero! 20:31  |  Mikael 15/01/09
      82.   Right Gideon, It`s easy to play war on children... 20:49  |  Dutch 15/01/09
      83.   #68 No Yesh you are wrong.. 20:50  |  KATHY 15/01/09
      84.   kol akavod 20:51  |  moisis 15/01/09
      85.   It`s time for Palestinian parents not to train 20:54  |  Maria 15/01/09
      86.   #79 Joseph E..Well said and Thank You.. 20:54  |  KATHY 15/01/09
      87.   Nor does Hamas 20:55  |  Gaza Bar and Grill 15/01/09
      88.   shame on israel! 20:58  |  G. Weinberg 15/01/09
      89.   gideon levy... a diamond in the rough 21:03  |  palestinian 15/01/09
      90.   congratulations to haaretz 03:48  |  marcelo 16/01/09
      91.   Moral insanity 03:49  |  slim j 16/01/09
      92.   Giora that was pathetic calling these kids killers. Shame on you 03:50  |  Mike McKenna 16/01/09
      93.   `Israel doing its best to help Gazans` 04:28  |  Oh my God 16/01/09
      94.   WAR IS CHILDS PLAY 04:36  |  Old Dumb Goy 16/01/09
      95.   An honest writer, also: 04:44  |  zeyad 16/01/09
      96.   Hamas has no mercy 04:46  |  daat y 16/01/09
      97.   No Mercy 05:25  |  Mona 16/01/09
      98.   Levy is my hero and my role model. He is beautiful 05:27  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/01/09
      99.   Time running out. 05:34  |  HG 16/01/09
      100.   #23, khraim 06:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/01/09
      101.   Gideon Levy - Let us sit at your feet..... 06:32  |  charles 16/01/09
      102.   Gideon Levy 09:18  |  Wallymiah 16/01/09
      103.   to Avraham 09:19  |  saladin 16/01/09
      104.   Do Hamas the Palestinians have mercy for the Israeli children? 09:27  |  Olivia 16/01/09
      105.   In response to many statements of readers 10:22  |  Iri 16/01/09
      106.   HAMAS - no mercy! 23:40  |  Mark 16/01/09
      107.   Thank you 00:10  |  IS 17/01/09
      108.   From a mother 00:18  |  Sara 17/01/09
      109.   Gideon Levy, a giant amongst men 03:24  |  Eli Schaefer 17/01/09
      110.   they not only betrayed us but hate us. 19:08  |  Boris 17/01/09
      111.   IAF 08:08  |  Cesare 18/01/09
      112.   What is wrong with you ppl?!!! 13:11  |  ibti 18/01/09
      113.   idf has no mercy 03:14  |  Inmmutable 19/01/09
      114.   The IDF has no mercy for the children in Gaza nursery schools 07:50  |  sick-of-it-all 20/01/09
      115.   The IDF has no mercy 08:05  |  Alex 20/01/09
      116.   Israeli hero 13:41  |  John 21/01/09
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